Coleman delivers first UFC win in 12 years as "The Hammer" drops Bonnar on UFC 100 prelims

LAS VEGAS – Saturday night’s historic and much-anticipated UFC 100 event in Las Vegas served as a chance for the mixed martial arts world to reflect on the progress the modern sport and the organization have made in their near-16-year histories.

And while homage was paid to many pioneers of the sport throughout the weekend’s activities, “The Godfather of Ground and Pound” Mark Coleman (16-9 MMA, 7-4 UFC) took it upon himself to claim a little bit of glory.

Coleman earned a gutsy decision over fan favorite Stephan Bonnar (11-6 MMA, 5-5 UFC) in the featured contest of the evening’s unaired preliminary card at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. The main card, headlined by a heavyweight title unification match between dual champs Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir, aired live on pay-per-view.

Despite a predictable attack of takedowns and ground-and-pound, a strategy patented by Coleman beginning in 1996 when he debuted at UFC 10, Bonnar was unable to halt the onslaught. While the questionable gas tank of Coleman caused concern as the bout entered the second and third frames, the 44-year-old pushed through a disappointing first-round to exhibit a vintage attack in the final 10 minutes.

Bonnar tried to stay active from the bottom throughout the fight, but he was unable to stay on his feet and unable to get off of his back. Dueling chants of “Coleman!” and “Bonnar!” echoed throughout the crowd, but it was Coleman who was able to reward his fans. Coleman used to his extensive wrestling background to keep Bonnar pinned to the floor, and he delivered enough offense to earn the final two frames.

A final flurry of punches and elbows from the top as time wound down in the third round was followed by a smart decision to simply ride out the position, and the UFC Hall-of-Famer earned a surprising unanimous-decision win.

Despite entering the bout as the decided underdog, the win snapped a two-fight losing streak for Coleman, and it marked his first win in the octagon since a submission win over fellow Hall-of-Famer Dan Severn at UFC 12 in 1997. After remaining inactive in 2008, Bonnar has now dropped two-straight contests in 2009.

Scrappy lightweights Dan Miller (12-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) and Mac Danzig (19-6-1 MMA, 2-3 UFC) were expected to put on an intense fight worthy of a UFC 100 slot. With both submission aces looking to rebound from recent defeats, Miller and Danzig were each hoping to secure their spots in the world’s biggest organizations with a win.

Miller opened the fight as the aggressor, and Danzig received a gaping wound when a series of elbows and forearms on the ground blasted his forehead. With the blood flowing freely well into the second round, Danzig struggled to keep the plasma from his eyes. Miller maintained top position throughout the opening two rounds, though with time winding down in the second, Danzig nearly ended the fight.

A guillotine choke applied by Danzig during a takedown was wrenched in tight, and Miller appeared to be in trouble as the clocked tick down. Miller maintained his composure, and Danzig was forced to release the hold when the bell signaled to end the frame.

Danzig opened the third round with a commendable attack, but Miller was able to again work the fight to the floor and earn top position. Danzig again finished strong, sweeping into a top position of his own. The former “The Ultimate Fighter 6″ winner threw a flurry of punches, but it was again too little, too late. Miller earned the unanimous-decision win, 30-27 on all three judges’ cards.

With the win, Miller moves to an impressive 4-1 in the UFC. While Danzig own the job security that comes along with winning “The Ultimate Fighter,” the 29-year-old has dropped three-straight bouts in the UFC.

Undefeated light-heavyweight Jon Jones (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has quickly gained the respect of many UFC enthusiasts, though some thought former heavyweight Jake O’Brien (11-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) might present a stern challenge. For a round-and-a-half O’Brien hung tight with the fast-rising prospect, but Jones once again used a few flashy techniques coupled with solid fundamentals to earn the win.

O’Brien looked to utilize his wrestling strengths and work Jones to the canvas throughout the fight, but “Bones” simply shucked his opponent’s advances aside, landing enough strikes in the meantime to earn points on the judges’ cards. Jones scored with a few kicks and his trademark spinning elbow while remaining patient on the attack. When halfway through the second frame O’Brien returned to the shot, Jones calmly locked in a guillotine choke, forcing the tap at 2:43 of the frame.

Jones remains undefeated through nine career contests, including three in the UFC. O’Brien has now dropped three of his past four contests, though he is 1-1 at 205 pounds since dropping from the heavyweight division.

While Canadian welterweight T.J. Grant (14-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) surprised many UFC fans with his UFC 97 win over veteran Ryo Chonan, Korean Dong Hyun Kim (12-0-1 UFC, 3-0-1 MMA) presented a different set of challenges. In the end, those challenges proved too tough to pass.

Grant put Kim on his back early in the fight, but it was one of the last times he found himself in a dominant position. Kim quickly reversed that situation and remained in top position for most of the fight, stopping briefly when an illegal upkick in the second frame cost Grant a point. While Grant was never close to being finished, Kim was never in danger of losing the decision. All three judges scored the bout for the Korean, 30-26.

Following his overturned loss to Karo Parisyan in January – which was ruled a no contest when “The Heat” failed a post-fight drug test – Kim remains undefeated in his five-plus-year career. The loss snapped a five-fight win streak for Grant, who is now 1-1 in the UFC.

When you elect to enter the arena accompanied by the Baha Men’s 2000 hit song “Who Let the Dogs Out,” you’re obviously a confident fighter. When you add in a collared Seth Petruzelli entering on a chain, crawling on all fours with a bone in his mouth, you’re either supremely confident or somewhat crazy. Middleweight Tom Lawlor (6-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) of Friday’s “Just Bleed” fame probably falls somewhere in the middle, but against former “The Ultimate Fighter 7″ finalist C.B. Dollaway (8-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC), “The Ultimate Fighter 8″ cast member earned the right to enjoy his antics.

While Dollaway opened with a smooth one-two to start the action, then shot in with a takedown when Lawlor looked to answer, “The Doberman” left his neck available for the taking. Lawlor obliged, and “The Filthy Mauler” locked in a deep guillotine choke as he was driven to the canvas.

Dollaway was unable to break free of the hold and was unconscious in a matter of seconds. After earning the win at just 55 seconds of the opening frame, Lawlor called out the winners of the evening’s two title contests, as well as the entire WEC.

After the challenge, Lawlor admitted he was pleased with the win.

“I’m ecstatic,” Lawlor said. “I trained really hard because people were looking at C.B. as one of the top guys at 185 (pounds).

“His head was out there. I just kind of fell into it. My cornerman said, ‘Don’t go for the guillotine unless you know you have it.’ I guess I knew I had it.”

UFC 100 officially kicked off with a pair of lightweights looking to rebound from recent losses as Shannon Gugerty (12-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) met Matt Grice (9-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC). An earlier start time than was printed on event tickets left the arena just about 30 percent full when the bout kicked off, but that didn’t stop Gugerty from putting on an impressive performance.

After a few initial kicks were missed by both fighters, Gugerty pushed the fight to the floor. When Grice powered his way off of the mat, Gugerty responded by locking in a guillotine choke. With Grice trying to wiggle free, Gugerty dropped to the floor and rolled to top position, wrenching the choke as he transitioned.

Grice held on to the bitter end, and the bout was halted only when his body went limp. Gugerty moves to 2-1 in the UFC in his first bout of 2009, while Grice drops to 1-3 in the organization – including 0-2 since his return from a 14-month layoff – a run that could see the Oklahoman dropped from the organization.

Following the win Gugerty said he envisioned the win prior to the first contest of the historic card.

“Nerves were not a factor,” Gugerty said. “This is the calmest I’ve ever been for a fight. I actually had a dream that I was going to catch him with a guillotine.”